Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis:
A Genetic Analysis Using Online Bioinformatics Tools





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Lesson PDF

Background

Materials

Sequences

Questions

Part A

Part B

Part C

Part D

Part E

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Part D: Hypothesizing Antibiotic Resistance

As mentioned in the background section earlier, a SNP in the gene region that changes the structure of the binding site in the polymerase for rifampin could cause rifampin to no longer work. If that happens, then the bacterium with that mutation is considered to be resistant to rifampin. If there is no change to the rifampin binding site in RNA polymerase, then the bacterium is considered to be susceptible to rifampin. Your job now is to hypothesize whether or not the bacteria from which your variant TB allele came is resistant or susceptible to rifampin.

But first you need some more information to help you with this. Keep reading!

• The binding site for rifampin is located between amino acids 36 and 67.

• Amino acids with the same properties will likely cause the protein to fold in its original way.

• Amino acids with different or opposite properties will likely cause the protein’s shape to change.

Using the information in the Background, your completed chart in #13, and the information above, make a claim as to whether the bacteria containing your given variant protein will be resistant or susceptible to rifampin. (This portion of the work will be a DRAFT of your final scientific explanation.)

Claim: I predict that Mycobacterium tuberculosis with the rpoB variant ___ allele will be
_________________________ (resistant OR susceptible) to rifampin.

Evidence: The evidence that supports my claim is (provide evidence that supports your claim) _______________________________________

Reasoning: The reason for my claim is that
_______________________________________


Going Even Further (If you finish early or if you want to try it again.)

Choose a different TB variant allele (C-H) to analyze by repeating the entire process. Pick up a “Second Variant TB Allele” worksheet from your teacher. Use this packet as your guide. Write down your new answers on your worksheet.


Link to Part E



Copyright © 2013 Michael Strong and Jessica Taylor